This locomotive is a simply modified LGB 4-wheel diesel, factory fitted with a decoder and a pair of roof mounted flashing beacons. It was purchased second hand on eBay.
The model as purchased.
You will note that the model, as purchased, has a silver headlamp bezel missing from the rear. Other than that, the model was in good order. Unfortunately, whileplaying trains testing the loco, it fell from the table and came to a sudden stop at floor level. A front corner of the window frame, at roof level, was cracked and the clear glazing of the front windows broken.
The first thing to do was to separate the body from the chassis. The body was then dismantled into its various component parts. The main body unclips into two main parts, the driver’s cab and the engine bonnet. The damage to the cab was easily repaired with a dab of glue. The glazing was also glued back together, avoiding getting any glue on the window areas. Both front windows still have a visible crack across them, but hopefully they will not be too obvious when the model is reassembled.
Having affected the repairs, it was time to start on the modifications. The exterior of the model comprises the previously referred to cab and bonnet components plus the roof and the bonnet top. I started with the cab, which has two raised data/number panels on each side. These were carved off and sanded flush with the cab side. Both cab doors had moulded door handles which were carved off and replaced with new ones made from bent brass wire.
Next I modified the bonnet section. There are four moulded handles on each side of the engine compartment. These were carved off and replaced with handles made from 0.81mm brass rod. For some reason, the large panel that covers most of the top of the engine bay, is moulded as a separate piece, which clips into the body of the bonnet. This panel also has four moulded handles, which as with the side panels, were carved off and replaced with handles made from brass rod.
The front number plate was pulled off the front grill to reveal that it is secured by pushing a square peg into a square hole, within a round boss protruding from the louvre grill. I drilled out this boss leaving a hole which I then covered by gluing thin strips of plasicard over the affected louvers.
The exhaust, on the top surface of the bonnet, is moulded in the solid. I increased the height of the exhaust by gluing a length of suitable plastic tube over the base, to look like a pipe. The last modification, to the body, was to glue two plasticard boards, on raised brackets, to each side of the leading engine compartment door. Once the model has been painted, these boards will have etched brass name plates glued to them.
As standard, the model is not fitted with brake pipes. For continuity of appearance, I fitted LGB Toy Train brake pipes, sourced from the spare box, to the buffer beams, as virtually all of the Claptowte Railway rolling stock is similarly fitted.
The last piece to be modified was the cab roof. This has four solid moulded ‘lumps’, in each corner, representing lifting lugs. I drilled them out to make them look more realistic.
This version of the 0-4-0 diesel shunter comes with a pair of roof mounted flashing LED beacons, one red and one amber. I wanted to replace the red LED with a second amber one, to give a more Anglicised appearance. As I was not able to source a spare amber LED, I opted to replace both LEDs with clear ones, given a thinned down coat of orange paint. It achieved the desired effect.
This was the sum total of the modifications to the body. The next step was to spray all of the appropriate dismantled parts with grey plastic primer, prior to painting. This including the driver figure as I felt he should be repainted in more appropriate colours.
For a corporate livery, for the diesel fleet, I chose a colour scheme of black underframes, green bodywork and, for the roofs, the same BR maroon coaching stock roof grey as used on the passenger coaches. The green that I chose is PlastiKote RAL6005 satin Hunt Green. As with the steam locomotives, the buffer beams were finished in red. The cab interior is painted in BR cream.
Once the painting had been completed, I applied etch brass name and number places, sourced from Custom Nameplate Studio.
With its flashing roof mounted warning beacons, this loco is the ideal motive power to haul the Claptowte Railway Travelling Crane, together with its ancillary vehicles.
The completed locomotive
David
The model as purchased.
You will note that the model, as purchased, has a silver headlamp bezel missing from the rear. Other than that, the model was in good order. Unfortunately, while
The first thing to do was to separate the body from the chassis. The body was then dismantled into its various component parts. The main body unclips into two main parts, the driver’s cab and the engine bonnet. The damage to the cab was easily repaired with a dab of glue. The glazing was also glued back together, avoiding getting any glue on the window areas. Both front windows still have a visible crack across them, but hopefully they will not be too obvious when the model is reassembled.
Having affected the repairs, it was time to start on the modifications. The exterior of the model comprises the previously referred to cab and bonnet components plus the roof and the bonnet top. I started with the cab, which has two raised data/number panels on each side. These were carved off and sanded flush with the cab side. Both cab doors had moulded door handles which were carved off and replaced with new ones made from bent brass wire.
Next I modified the bonnet section. There are four moulded handles on each side of the engine compartment. These were carved off and replaced with handles made from 0.81mm brass rod. For some reason, the large panel that covers most of the top of the engine bay, is moulded as a separate piece, which clips into the body of the bonnet. This panel also has four moulded handles, which as with the side panels, were carved off and replaced with handles made from brass rod.
The front number plate was pulled off the front grill to reveal that it is secured by pushing a square peg into a square hole, within a round boss protruding from the louvre grill. I drilled out this boss leaving a hole which I then covered by gluing thin strips of plasicard over the affected louvers.
The exhaust, on the top surface of the bonnet, is moulded in the solid. I increased the height of the exhaust by gluing a length of suitable plastic tube over the base, to look like a pipe. The last modification, to the body, was to glue two plasticard boards, on raised brackets, to each side of the leading engine compartment door. Once the model has been painted, these boards will have etched brass name plates glued to them.
As standard, the model is not fitted with brake pipes. For continuity of appearance, I fitted LGB Toy Train brake pipes, sourced from the spare box, to the buffer beams, as virtually all of the Claptowte Railway rolling stock is similarly fitted.
The last piece to be modified was the cab roof. This has four solid moulded ‘lumps’, in each corner, representing lifting lugs. I drilled them out to make them look more realistic.
This version of the 0-4-0 diesel shunter comes with a pair of roof mounted flashing LED beacons, one red and one amber. I wanted to replace the red LED with a second amber one, to give a more Anglicised appearance. As I was not able to source a spare amber LED, I opted to replace both LEDs with clear ones, given a thinned down coat of orange paint. It achieved the desired effect.
This was the sum total of the modifications to the body. The next step was to spray all of the appropriate dismantled parts with grey plastic primer, prior to painting. This including the driver figure as I felt he should be repainted in more appropriate colours.
For a corporate livery, for the diesel fleet, I chose a colour scheme of black underframes, green bodywork and, for the roofs, the same BR maroon coaching stock roof grey as used on the passenger coaches. The green that I chose is PlastiKote RAL6005 satin Hunt Green. As with the steam locomotives, the buffer beams were finished in red. The cab interior is painted in BR cream.
Once the painting had been completed, I applied etch brass name and number places, sourced from Custom Nameplate Studio.
With its flashing roof mounted warning beacons, this loco is the ideal motive power to haul the Claptowte Railway Travelling Crane, together with its ancillary vehicles.
The completed locomotive
David
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